The Hospital
The Federation of The Hospital, more commonly called The Hospital, is a non-native constitutional theocratic holy band federated state located on a group of island on the south east of Phaedros, and recently on the coastline bordering these islands. It is not bordered by any group of importance but is situated close by the nation of (UKNOWN) on the west and the big nation of (UNKNOWN) to the north. The Hospital covers almost 2000 square kilometers (without including the coast) and has a population of around 8 million. The Hospital is comprised of multiple island cities and mainland colonies answering to one central gouvernement situated on the main island of San Giuda Taddeo, or simply Taddeo Island. The islands comprising the most important parts of The Hospital where never reached by the natives of Phaedros, but were finally inhabited by a group of lost Hospitaller Knight, that were scattered away from their group after the siege of Rhodes. Starving and going insane from the years passed with little food on the ships, they did not remember how they ended up reaching the islands, but once arrived, two groups formed, the ones that where going to leave the ways of the knights, that would later become the general populace of The Hospital, and the more devout ones that would never leave their ways, whose descendants would form the majority of the Hospitaller aristocracy and military command. The latter group would mostly settle on Taddeo island , while the others would scatter on the other islands or join the native population on the mainland. In the year 1652, a big movement for unification surged through the islands, who had evolved much in ideology from their past. They formed in this way the constitutional monarchy of The Hospital, with a democratically elected Prince Mayor and a Grand Master, elected by a smaller group from a smaller pool, acting as the heads of The Hospital. The coastline hospitallers joined The Hospital in 1834 to have access to a bigger defence force. The coastline isnt very industrialised, being mostly rural, with small villages forming around the multiple gigantic fortresses built on the border. But the native population and other nations uses this presence to trade with The Hospital, as access to the islands from the exterior is quasi-impossible for anyone that isnt an Hospitaller citizen or a foreign head of state. Very rarely would diplomats even be allowed on the islands. This trade caused the appearance of the disproportionately large trade metropolis, the Grand City of Saint-Thomas, to appear on the mainland. The Hospitaller mainland possessions are a prized touristic attraction for the security they have in the region, the beautiful beaches with a view of the island, the great shopping centers of Saint-Thomas, and the "exotic" culture of the Hospitallers. The Hospital is an orderly nation of 8 million devout hospitallers known economically for its large uranium mining and arms manufacturing industries, its excellent defence force led by warrior-monks reminiscent of another time, the complete lack of prisons and rareness of crimes, and the cheerfulness of its inhabitants. It is a new member to the World Assembly and has recently established permanent contact with the other nations of its region, Phaedros. The leading causes of death are old age, heart disease, and acts of God. The biggest expenditures of the hospitaller government's 108 billion Lire expenses are Spirituality, Defence, and Law and Order. It has started a violent crackdown on the native ritual sacrifices appearing in great numbers recently thought the nation. Etymology The flag of The Hospital is the one used by the Knights Hospitaller before their arrival in Phaedros. It bears the white eight-pointed cross (cross of Malta) on a red field, representing the humanitarian and medical mission of the order, but also its origin in the face of the saracens during the Crusades. The geometric shape of an eight-pointed cross is found in antiquity, and especially as decorative element in Byzantine culture from about the 6th century. The association with Amalfi may go back to the 11th century, as the design is allegedly found on coins minted by the Duchy of Amalfi at that time. However, there is no historically known and accepted visual evidence that the 8-point Maltese Cross was in use by the Knights Hospitaller, at any of their predecessor locations, before it appears on the coins of Malta in 1567. Claims by Amalfi that it first appears on their coins in the 11th century is only a reference to a then common style of the 8-point cross pattee. Therefore, Amalfi's claim to the Maltese Cross is through extension from the founder of the order, who was sent out from there to the Holy Land in the late-11th century. The term "Amalfi Cross" only developed after the 8-point cross was introduced on Malta in 1567. The Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades used a plain Latin cross. The association of the "Maltese Cross" with the order dates to the late-15th century, it is possibly first mentioned in 1489 in a regulation requiring the knights of Malta to wear "the white cross with eight points". However, these 8-points do not signify that the shape required was that of the four-arrowhead form of 1567, or anything near it, as there are many variants of an 8-point cross. The association with Malta arose after the Knights Hospitaller moved from Rhodes to Malta in 1530. The first evidence for use of the Maltese Cross on Malta appears on the 2 Tarì and 4 Tarì Copper coins of the Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette (Grand Master 1557–1568). The 2 and 4 Tarì Copper coins are dated 1567. This provides a date for the introduction of the Maltese Cross. History The Hospital was created in 1525 after a ship of Hospitaller knights that had lost their way while escaping Rhodes after it got taken over by the Ottomans in 1522 found its way to the uninhabited Archipelago of Sant'Antonio di Padova (simple: Padova Archipelago) and landed on San Giuda Taddeo Island, named after the patron saint of desperate situations who was prayed to 10 times daily on the three years voyage the ship made to the islands. The knights having landed divided in two groups, one more numerous group discarded the lifestyle of the warrior monks and adopted a secular life, leaving the island for the other smaller island of the archipelago and forming small villages in the style of the european countryside led by an elected mayor. The other, smaller group, formed of the most pious, most loyal and most powerful knights kept their clerical life and took it upon themselves to build fortresses/monasteries and boats in a bid to contact the European homeland. This second group was led by François Villiers, son of Philippe Villiers, the Grand Master of the Hospitallers in Europe. There started a trend of primogeniture in the leadership of the group since, having been disconnected from the Pope, the Grand Master could not be appointed by The Holiness. In 1558, the first Hospitaller set foot on the coast of the mainland continent. Being part of the first group and not having a true central government, multi-ethnical villages rapidly formed in these "colonies" with people from neighbouring native tribes and other nations lived together, most converting to the Latin Catholicism, omnipresent in the villages. On the year 1634, the Knights on Taddeo island, under Grand Master Auger Berengar, had decided to stop trying to contact Europe and to try to build a nation from what they had on the now extremely fortified island. The efforts to unite all the Hospitaller states was growing strong and in the glorious year of 1652, all of the different states, villages, and nations in the Archipelago united under a new gouvernement similar to a constitutional monarchy, still in place today. It took until the year 1834 for the new nation, now named The Hospital, to lay claim on the coastline settlements. The mayors of these now culturally different but still attached to their origins villages decided to accept being annexed in exchange of protection from the raids done on them by neighbouring people and a special status in the isolationist nation, to be able to continue making trade with other nations. This is why the coastline settlements, most particularly the Grand City of Saint-Thomas, thrive on trade and are the home of great diplomats, even today. On the 16th of May 1896, The Great Raid ravaged the settlements on the coast. This combined attack by the united forces of multiple native nations was a short lived victory, as the bulk of the hospitaller force, that had for long been yearning for a fight, killed every man that was part of the attack, pursued any survivor back to their villages, and burned and pillaged the villages, leaving nothing but dust and dead bodies after them. The casualties on The Hospital's side are estimated to be around 500 civilians and 5 soldiers, while the ones on the side of the native coalition seem to be around more than 100000 civilian casualties and more than 50000 soldiers. This war destroyed almost all of the native tribes in the region surrounding the occupied coast, straightened The Hospital's isolationist attitude, and force the construction of 100 forts on the continental borders, The most important being Fort Sanctus-Michahel, now housing a big part of the hospitaller military assets. On the 12th of October 1964, The Hospital finally relaxed its isolationist pose and sent diplomats to different bordering nations and setting up embassies in all major nations in what they now knew as the region of Phaedros. To celebrate that historical moment, The Hospital finally joined the World Assembly on October 12th, 2017, opening up to world-wide diplomacy. Geography The land area of The Hospital, excluding its mainland colonies, is 1983.65 km². The climate on the island is mostly Mediterranean. The different territories forming The Hospital have varying compositions, with some of the island being mountainous greenland and other absolute flats put over the ocean by steep ridges, this being the case of the heavily fortified capital, San Giuda Taddeo Island. Much of the coastal settlement is composed of beaches, but once further into the mainland, becomes composed of dense forests and a chain of small mounts where are placed the forteresses forming the mainland borders. The highest and lowest point of the hospital are situated on Santo-Gennaro Island, a small island that has for centerpiece the Igneus volcano. This dead volcano goes up to a height of 3, 743 m. and its crater goes down to -89m. , This being respectively the highest and lowest point in The Hospital. Military Military traditions in The Hospital have not evolved much since their creation, still being religion based and including multiple religious elements. Their equipment, on the other hand, has become reputed. The strength and devotion of the hospitaller military makes them a force to be wrecken with. The comparatively low population of the island and the restrictions to enter the army make for a rather small military, but the capacity of this small military goes over many of their counterparts on the continent. Like with many things, the mainland colonies have a different military that is more opened to citizens. This so called "trained militia" is a lot more numerous than the actual knights, but less trained or equipped. It is used as a backbone, guided by the knights in battles and the only ones that really use ... (not finished)